Review of the first Google tablet, the Nexus 7 by ASUS

Score

4.1 stars
"Great"

(How we score)

Low cost, great hardware build, fast and smooth, latest OS version

No landscape home screen access, missing camera app, limited storage

Summary

While Google has released a number of Nexus branded "hero" smartphones in the past, the new Google Nexus 7 is the first ever tablet to bear the Google Nexus name. Built by ASUS, the Nexus 7 also has the distinction of being the first device to run the Android 4.1 "Jelly Bean" operating system.

While the Nexus 7 offers nothing to consumers that can't be found elsewhere - save for Jelly Bean - it offers a number of refinements to the Android tablet experience in terms of both software and hardware. And it does it all at a sub-$200 price point that is meant to dethrone Amazon's Kindle Fire as the reigning Android tablet of choice for consumers.

With specs like a quad-core processor and a 1280 x 800 pixel display, that seems more than just possible. It might even be likely.

You can see the Google Nexus 7 in action in the video located after the Table of Contents, below.